Remarks by President McAleese at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool
Remarks by President McAleese at the Institute of Irish Studies, University of Liverpool On Wednesday, 25th November, 1998
I am really delighted to be here this morning and to meet so many of you who are involved in the work of the Institute of Irish Studies. It is entirely appropriate that a city such as Liverpool, which has so many Irish connections, should have such a significant centre for teaching and research on Irish topics.
I would like to pay tribute to the Institute and to its staff for all it has achieved in the past ten years in becoming one of the premier centres for Irish studies in these islands. I offer my warmest congratulations to Professor Marianne Elliott on her recent appointment as Director of the Institute. I have always admired her work as an historian and the way she has helped our understanding of Irish nationalism and the development of the republican tradition in Ireland. I have greatly admired too her work for reconciliation in Northern Ireland and for improving Anglo-Irish relations. There are days of great hope for a new maturity and mutual respect in those relations as we work together to build a culture of consensus out of the remnants of a culture of conflict.
Since becoming President I have had the opportunity of visiting Irish communities here, in the US and Canada, in Australia and New Zealand. It has struck me that each of these communities has a different story to tell of migration and settlement. Each has its own experience and its own dynamic. These communities form a complex tapestry and I have no doubt of the role of academic centres such as this in explaining the Irish experience throughout the world.
Here in Britain, centres such as this have a particular role. Britain is our closest neighbour, it has been the major destination for Irish emigrants for centuries and, it must be faced, our relationship has frequently been fraught with difficulty and pain, right up to our own day. In an academic environment, we can explore these complexities dispassionately and come to a greater understanding of our past and through teaching programmes we can create a more informed awareness of Ireland here in Britain. Out of ignorance, fear and hatred are bred. Conversely, with knowledge we can build, as we are doing, mutual understanding and mutual respect.
Ireland today is experiencing a period of rapid change. We need you to make sense of these changes, not only for ourselves but also to explain the Ireland of today to others. Your work, whether in history, politics, sociology or language and literature has an importance which spreads beyond the confines of the University. I hope you have a real sense of the wider importance of your work and I hope a sense of the gratitude we have for what you do.